Truncated season has sense of urgency, players recall

Key moments of 1995 season, the last time the NHL played this small of a schedule

U.S. President Bill Clinton holds up the Stanley Cup won by the New Jersey Devils during their visit to the White House in July 1995. Looking on are Devils team captain Scott Stevens, third from right, and other players.

Photograph by: JOYCE NALTCHAYAN
, AFP/Getty Images

Bill Clinton is in the White House. Monica Lewinsky isn’t far behind.

Mike Schmidt is elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Birmingham is handed a Canadian Football League franchise. O.J. Simpson’s murder trial begins.

Dumb and Dumber is in theatres. Soon to be released are Clueless, Get Shorty, Grumpier Old Men, Bad Boys, Dangerous Minds, which are actual movies — not just hints about what the National Hockey League has put its fans through.

It’s January 1995.

After the NHL lockout, puck-chasing is about to resume. The New York Rangers are anxious to defend the Stanley Cup.

But who knows what to expect in a shortened campaign?

A 48-game season — instead of the normal 84 — awaits each of the league’s 26 entries. The dashed-together schedule will keep them busy from Jan. 20 to May 3.

First, though, there are rule changes to digest. For instance, dangerous checks from behind will now cost the perpetrator a major penalty and a game misconduct. (Thank goodness that got sorted out.)

But, by gosh, hockey does get played.

And the Stanley Cup does handed out — spoiler alert: New Jersey Devils sweep Detroit Red Wings — and, just like that, everything is back to normal in the world. Probably forever.

Or not.

Here is what some of the 1994-95 participants, with their former affiliations, are saying now, what advice they’re offering 18 years later with another truncated campaign on the horizon:

New Jersey D Ken Daneyko: “We didn’t know what to expect. The problem is, if you get yourself off to a bad start you might not have a chance to recover and compete for the Cup.”

New Jersey RW Bill Guerin: “Listen, you fall right back into it. Yes, there are a lot of games, and coaches might have to manage some players and goalies a little differently, but for the most part, guys are going to figure it out. You don‘t want to make a huge deal out of it.”

Pittsburgh coach Eddie Johnston (whose team started 12-0-1): “And that was big for us. Trust me, getting off to a big start is huge. If they get off to a bad start, you’re in trouble. It just isn’t a very long season.”

Montreal C Kirk Muller: “Momentum is going to be a big thing. Momentum at the start is going to be crucial. I think the backup goalie is going to be an interesting topic. It’s always important, but more so this year. The depth of your organization and your hockey team are going to be important. Can you stay healthy and pop guys in?”

Pittsburgh C Ron Francis: “I just remember all the games were intense. It’s a shorter season, more of a sprint to the finish line. Every game was like a playoff game. You couldn’t have a lull or a lapse. Everything was pretty critical. It was a fun season.”

Boston LW Dave Reid: “Every game felt like a playoff game. It was very exciting as a player in that way. The puck was dropped and you had to win that game. The playoff race was on from Game 1. You knew you couldn’t have a slump at all if you wanted to make the playoffs, so you were just so geared up to play all the time, as opposed to a normal season where you knew you could lose a few in a row and still be fine.”

New Jersey RW Claude Lemieux: “I don’t remember it being very taxing on the body, any more than if it had been a full season. We condensed things by maybe a couple weeks shorter than they would have been, but it wasn’t bad. And the games were all like playoff games. You knew you couldn’t fall off the wagon much, so it was definitely more intense for the players and the fans. You have to adjust your mindset a lot. You get thrown into the deep end of the pool right away.”

Quebec C Joe Sakic: “We really came in ready to play. We knew that (if we had) a three- or four-game losing streak, we were probably done for the playoffs. It was no fun sitting out those three or four months, but once we got back we kind of forgot about it and were real excited to play. It went great, but we just couldn’t follow things up in the playoffs.”

Boston RW Cam Neely: “It’ll be a sprint to the playoffs and everybody will know that. It’s just a matter of what kind of condition the players are going to be in because it’s going to start off fast and furious.”

Chicago coach Darryl Sutter: “Everybody’s talking about the importance of a good start, but the one thing that I take out of the 48-game schedule that year was how you needed lots of players. I bet if you look back at Chicago that year we probably used 16 or 17 (actually 21) forwards.”

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U.S. President Bill Clinton holds up the Stanley Cup won by the New Jersey Devils during their visit to the White House in July 1995. Looking on are Devils team captain Scott Stevens, third from right, and other players.

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